I have the following problems:
- In front of my desktop PC I have a low-quality 1/8" headphone front jack which "stutters" when the cable is moved and in which my 1/4" jack headphones connected though a 1/8" adapter don't fit in a stable manner,
- After I connect a microphone at the front or back socket (again through a 1/4"->1/8" adapter) I can hear anything only after enabling mic boost, but even then the quality isn't really good (the mic is a Panasonic or Pioneer dynamic scene-type mic, I've had an opportunity to test it on a Roland UA-1G interface and it had a satisfying sound then),
- Besides in my notebook I have a terrible level of noise whenever I plug in the power coord (the mic boost doesn't make a difference on this machine).
I think that all of the above problems could be solved by an USB gadget (preferably small enough for me to carry around when I need to). Can you give me an idea what kind of device would fit my needs and possibly present some models as an example?
(Besides, what is the difference between an "external sound card" and an "USB audio interface"? Is there any?)
